John Paul Heil, «The Chiastic Structure and Meaning of Paul’s Letter to Philemon», Vol. 82 (2001) 178-206

This article proposes a new chiastic structure for Paul’s letter to Philemon based on rigorous criteria and methodology. The center and pivot of the chiasm, ‘but without your consent I resolved to do nothing, so that your good might not be as under compulsion but rather under benevolence’ (v. 14), is a key to explicating the letter’s supposedly unclear purpose. Paul wants Philemon to give his former slave Onesimus back to Paul as a beloved brother and fellow worker for the gospel of Jesus Christ, because of Philemon’s response to the grace of God evident in his faithful love for the holy ones as a beloved brother and fellow worker of Paul.

        Nevertheless, as an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus, Paul would rather appeal on the basis of love (v. 9). The encouragement (para/klhsin) that Paul has had in Philemon’s love (e)pi_ th=| a)ga/ph| sou) (v. 7) for all the holy ones (v. 5) leads him to appeal (parakalw=) on account of love (dia_ th_n a)ga/phn, v. 9) — not only Philemon’s love for the holy ones (v. 5) but Paul’s love for Philemon, ‘our beloved’ (v. 1)³⁰. That Paul refers to himself both as an ‘old man’ (presbu/thj) and again as a prisoner of Christ Jesus (cf. v. 1) evokes from his audience empathy and respect both for his old age and for his special relationship to Christ as a literal and metaphorical prisoner³¹. That Paul is both an old man and a prisoner of Christ Jesus intensifies the motivation for Philemon to extend to Paul the same love he demonstrated to the holy ones.

        Having stated his preference to appeal (parakalw=, v. 9) to rather than to command Philemon (v. 8), Paul makes his appeal: ‘I appeal (parakalw=) to you for my child, whom I have begotten in prison, Onesimus’ (v. 10)³². That Paul appeals ‘for’ (peri_), in the sense of